08.31.17
As the summer season draws to a close, undoubtedly many of you may have taken family to various tourist attractions across the United States and undoubtedly you may have run across young people serving as theme park ride attendants, lifeguards, tour guides, and the like. Alternatively, you may have sent your children off to summer camp, where many young camp counselors lead them in both active and educational opportunities that kept them occupied for days on end. Many of these young people were here in the United States as cultural exchange students in the J-1 program. According to some sources, this may be the last summer for them.

In compliance with President Trump's Executive Order "Buy American and Hire American" the government has been called to reexamine a number of immigration programs which could impact jobs for Americans. According to a Wall Street Journal article published over the weekend on August 27, 2017, this includes the possibility of terminating some forms of the J-1 program: summer work-travel program, au pair program, camp counselors, interns, and trainees. The summer work-travel program brings many of the students stationed at resorts and theme parks across the country. The au pair program brings individuals into private homes to care for young children while attending classes. Camp counselors staff many of the summer camps across the country. Additionally, interns and trainees, who are either enrolled in college or who just graduated, come to the U.S. for a few months to obtain specific training in their field of study before returning home to pursue other career options. While the J-1 program has been created by statute, its different programs can be changed by Executive Order. There is no official word from the White House yet, but stay tuned.

Clark Lau LLC provides the above for informational purposes only. Please contact your Clark Lau attorney as to how this may impact your particular circumstances. Please stay tuned for more updates as they arise.